WHAT:
Cavalia – the spectacular equestrian odyssey – conducts search for two local Charlotte colts to join the production. The two chosen colts will star in the opening scene of Cavalia for the entire run of the show in Charlotte. The colts will live the celebrity life on-site at the Cavalia stables with the other stars of the show.

The show opens with the entrance of the colts on stage. They discover their surroundings, play with each other and with the toys lingering on stage, then the artists make their entrance and the colts “greet” them.

WHEN:
The search starts Friday, April 9, 2010.
The search closes Friday, April 16, 2010.
Finalists will be chosen and notified the week of April 19, 2010.
The winner will be announced Thursday, April 22, 2010.

Tampa, FL – April 8, 2010 – Riders brought forth their finest efforts in the equitation classes at the Tampa Equestrian Festival’s Tournament of Champions held at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Earning the top accolade in the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship class was Michael Murphy aboard Winnetou. Testing Robert McCune’s equitation course to first place in the Pessoa USEF Hunt Seat Medal was Shawn Casady riding Eastwood.

These outstanding riders exchanged placings in the equitation classes when Murphy won the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship, while Casady rode into second place. Then, Casady earned the blue ribbon in the Pessoa USEF Hunt Seat Medal class and Murphy took home the second place prize.

Murphy has been riding Winnetou for approximately two weeks, since his prior equitation horse had sold. Elizabeth Patz, who also shows at Murphy family’s facility, owns Winnetou. “I am still figuring this horse out a little bit,” remarked Murphy. “He sometimes gets a little bunched up and compressed so I try to allow him to be soft. He is definitely learning to open up and not stay so tight.”

Animal Awareness is an exciting new website for animal lovers that promotes home care health programs. Eight Signs of Dog Illness and Eight Signs of Horse Illness each discuss what signs to look for in an ill animal, and what massage strategies can be used for prevention and early detection. After reading the extensive free article, an individual can purchase one of the recommended mini-DVDs for additional visual guidance.

Hourdebaigt suggests that a good prevention measure is having an animal receive a physical exam periodically. Daily home care including massage, stretching and hydrotherapy modalities will help your animal live a long and happy life.

Margie Engle and Indigo were the winners of the $50,000 Grand Prix of Tampa CSI 2*-W after completing a clear round over the fences, but crossing the finish line with two time faults. Photo By: Anne Gittins.

Tampa, FL – April 4, 2010 – There were no rabbits this Easter at the Tampa Equestrian Festival during the $50,000 Grand Prix of Tampa CSI 2*-W. When four riders were unable to complete today’s jump-off round without bringing down a rail Margie Engle and Indigo were determined to have a steady, clear ride. The pair left all the jumps standing, and despite accruing two time faults, Engle and Indigo claimed today’s top prize.

Today, riders competed over courses designed by Michel Vaillancourt in the Covered Arena at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds. The first round featured an early triple combination to a liverpool fence, followed by a triple bar. As the course came to a close, riders had to show over a large oxer line, followed by a tight double combination, before finishing over a tall, single vertical. Many riders had a difficult time at the oxer line, the double combination, and the final vertical.

Six riders were able to complete the first round without fault and advance to the jump-off. The course began with a bending line, and then riders could take a difficult inside turn to a vertical, before making another inside turn to the second half of the triple combination. Finally, riders made their way to the triple bar before galloping to the tall vertical and finishing over the final oxer.

Animal Awareness recently launched its new iPhone App that is currently available for download through the iTunes store. Photo Courtesy of the Client.

Wellington, FL – March 24, 2010 – Animal Awareness is pleased to announce that its new iPhone App is now available at the iTunes store. This new app will offer many of the exciting features that are currently included on the Animal Awareness website, and will allow users to customize information specifically for their pet. Animal Awareness is an exciting new website founded by Licensed Massage Therapist Jean-Pierre Hourdebaigt that helps develop home care procedures for canines and equines.

The features on the new Animal Awareness iPhone App will include access to a large collection of articles that cover many topics pertaining to the home care of animal ailments, including arthritis and muscle injuries. Sample tutorial videos will also be available, as well as the ability to setup a consultation with Hourdebaigt directly from the device. The App can also be customized so that users can track their animal’s vital information such as weight, medications, vet appointments, and teeth examinations.

Aurora, OH (March 22, 2010) — An eBay store to aid with Courtney King-Dye’s medical expenses has been established by King-Dye’s long time sponsor, SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program. The store can be found at http://stores.ebay.com/Courtney-King-Dye-Medical-Fund and features a variety of items donated by individuals in the equestrian community. 100% of the net proceeds from sales of all items at this store will go to the Courtney King-Dye Medical Fund.

King-Dye, a top dressage rider who competed for the US team in the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong, suffered a serious head injury March 3, while schooling one of her horses in Loxahatchee, FL. She remains in a coma.

Aiken, SC – March 15, 2010 – Held at Phillip and Evie Dutton’s True Prospect Farm winter training facility in Aiken, SC, March 11, 2010, the Aiken Olympic Gala was enjoyed by all who gathered in attendance for the benefit of United States High Performance Eventing riders and the United States Equestrian Team Foundation.

Evie Dutton reflected on the evening, saying, “The event was a great success and we had fabulous attendance. There were approximately 250 people there, and everyone had a good time. This was our third year putting on the Gala, and it has grown more and more each time. We look forward to it every year; we get such incredible support from the community and it goes to a great cause as it benefits riders, drivers, and the USET Foundation.”

Guests enjoyed cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres as they bid on silent auction items and listened to guest speakers Phillip Dutton (United States Leading Event Rider for the past ten years), Boyd Martin (2009 Eventing Rider of the Year), and Mark Phillips (Chef d’Equipe of the U.S. Eventing Team).

Tampa, FL – March 1, 2010 – Stadium Jumping, Inc., announced today the FEI, the governing body for world equestrian sports has designated this year’s $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational as a qualifying event for the World Equestrian Games 2010 and for the European Championships in 2011.

The city of Tampa, Florida, will once again play host to this event, the world’s premiere show jumping event, often dubbed the “Super Bowl of Show Jumping.” The $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational returns to Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 8 p.m.

The $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational is the grand finale to the Tampa Equestrian Festival which takes place at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center from March 24th through April 10th, 2010.